Please help my pal buy his first Leica

A pal of mine, well into his seventies, would like to own a Leica.

He lives in London, does not have masses of spare cash, and this is his ambition.

He's never had a digital camera in his life and currently owns a Canon AE1.

I am sure he is seduced by the idea of the Red Dot and holding a retro feel camera - probably manual focus and prime lens.

Rightly, or wrongly, I have encouraged him to think digital rather than film. Partly because, once he has bought a memory card, he never needs to spend a penny more. He can take his pix, look at them on his laptop and hone his skills.

It'll be a long time, if ever, before lack of pixels becomes an irritant. So buying second hand is certainly an option.

Does anyone have any suggestions, please? Yes, he could move to another brand and even stick a red dot on it......but that's not his lifetime ambition.

Tony